really making a link pin beam hug the corners

[esde]

Formula Vee suppliers have link pin bushings that are already made offset to give you some negative camber. You’re supposed to face the carrier where the shims ride too, so the shim face is square to the new bore. It’s not much but it’s something
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[modok]

FormulaV started allowing disk brakes last year but still required to run wide five.

So they have to make a wide five disk brake kit......
Can they make one that isn't a overcomplicated mess, cost a bazillion dollars, or heavy as a boat anchor?
Quite a few good efforts, but all still far from elegant.

One design I really liked, they solved the problem of the aluminum hub....by using a small steel hub to house the bearings... bolted to a larger aluminum hub, with a brake rotor bolted to that.
A for effort, C- for using waaaay too many bolts

[petrol punk]

[theastronaut]

Depends on your definition of "handling". Some people think a stiffly sprung and damped Miata with huge sway bars handles good, and maybe it's pretty decent with sticky tires on a really smooth track. What happens when you throw a few bumps in the corners though? Hopping sideways over bumps isn't good handling. Some people think any body roll is terrible and means the car "handles bad" but thats also untrue. My autocross car has way more body roll than any of my normal cars or trucks, but it regularly places top 5/top 10 at local events. It's sprung and damped softly enough that it soaks up mid corner bumps like they're not there. It also doesn't have a rear sway bar, and only the skinny stock front sway bar which is completely opposite of the usual FWD setup- most suggest a rear sway bar as the first upgrade.

Coilovers are overrated, apart from easy spring rate/spring length changes, and easy ride height adjustment. Stock torsion bars have zero unsprung weight and torsion adjusters make height changes easy.

I prefer really soft springs with a long tapered foam bump stop on the shock shaft to act as a progressive rate spring- soft over bumps yet stiffens up with body roll. Soft springs sag more, and as they unload in a corner on the inside wheels they keep more weight on the tire- a stiff spring unloads weight on the tire at a much higher rate so you lose the ability to put down as much power on the inside wheel.

You'll want to limit suspension droop in the front to reduce body roll and keep weight on the inside rear tire- make adjustable limit straps for the front shocks and tighten them until the front inside wheel is off the ground in a hard corner. If the spring on that corner of the car isn't pushing up on the body then it's not contributing to lifting weight off the inside rear tire, so the rear stays flatter and the inside tire can put down more power exiting corners.

Limiting front droop and using progressive bump stops will act to limit body roll without the negative effects of a sway bar. Sway bars make the suspension less independent.

It's really easy to go with tires that are too wide, especially up front. You need contact pressure on the tread blocks to make the tread work. Wide tires reduce pressure on each tread block so the rubber compound sits on top of the road surface's texture instead of conforming to it and gripping. Wide tires will also hydroplane really easily since the front of the car is so light. Nankang NS2R comes in 165/50-15 and is an excellent low treadwear sticky street/track tire that has plenty of grooves to handle rain. Couple them with light wheels as they're heavier than normal street tires due to the extra sidewall reinforcement.

Shock damping will be important.

You'll want to lower the rear for around 2-3 degrees of negative camber. Between lowering the rear and the front limit straps you shouldn't need to worry about the usual swingaxle jacking problem.

Use FV front link pin bushings for as much camber as possible.
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Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exist and make it better. If it doesn't exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough."
-Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce

'64 Beetle Sunroof OG Bahama Blue
'63 Beetle Vert
'66 Beetle
'88 Festiva L
'89 Festiva L
'64 Chevy C10
'66 Chevy C10

[Erik G]

[petrol punk]

[theastronaut]